Corrosion is measured in many industries for a variety of reasons. One such industry is hydrocarbon exploration and recovery. Downhole corrosion measurement requires a broad range of data to characterize the presence of corrosion by-products, material loss, or life expectancy. Traditionally, this data could only be obtained through extensive laboratory study or time-consuming sample testing in the field.
However, these conventional corrosion measurement techniques are disadvantageous. Laboratory methods are labor intensive, do not provide a direct correlation to actual corrosion, and are time-consuming since the analysis is performed post-extraction. Testing in the field is limited by the lack of sufficient space to position samples (accessibility) and also may be limited to non-destructive methods. Down-hole environments and typical wellbore architectures do not provide easy access for sample placement. Moreover, costs associated with daily operations and wellbore intervention operations are cost prohibitive.
In hydrocarbon exploration and recovery, it is also necessary to perform formation evaluation in order to determine when the payzone has been penetrated. A number of techniques currently exist which include (1) nuclear detection tools and sensors, (2) resistivity tools, (3) hydrophone/accelerometer based acoustic/seismic technology, and (4) core drilling techniques which require secondary evaluation. However, such conventional methods are disadvantageous in that additional tools and equipment are needed in the space-restricted downhole environment, and can require hazardous or radioactive materials.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a cost-effective, compact and power efficient system in which to (1) detect/monitor corrosion data in a given environment and (2) to perform formation evaluation, both being performed in real-time.